FICTION
"Gold Fever"
by Sophia Halpin (Australia)
Tenth Doctor, Rose and Jae (Leela's daughter)
Takes place after "The Christmas Invasion"
Note: This story includes a character called Jae, who my best friend created. She's Leela's daughter, and was brought up in an orphanage on Earth (long story— literally). I also wrote it before the time of David Tennant, so I had no idea what his Doctor would be like.
Chapter one
President Imbeline of Barcelona stood on the docking platform on May 24th as the Blainian spaceship cruised down towards him. His chief executive at his elbow muttered anxiously to him, “Be careful sir. Remember that this ambassador is the knife-edge upon which our planet’s peace stands.”
The President gave a nervous smile. “I am aware of that.”
***
Jae wandered restlessly through the gleaming white corridors of the Doctor’s TARDIS. Her many weapons did not seem to slow her progress, as she had been wearing at least one for ten years, ever since she could remember. The Doctor and Rose were in the consol room, ‘discussing’ where they were to go next. Their muffled yells echoed through the ship’s vast interior. Jae shook her head, wondering why they had such pointless, petty arguments.
Suddenly her fingers started itching. She longed to steal something, anything. If she were careful, the Doctor wouldn’t notice she had started up again. And she could do with some new knives.
Glancing around, she spied a door. Jae pushed it open and entered a room lit with a soft green glow.
Jae’s eyes flew wide open with delight. The Time Child had seen the room’s treasure; a block of what appeared to be solid gold rested on a table in the centre of the chamber. The gold fitted perfectly into a small hollow in the wood that was about the size of her palm.
After checking for alarms, Jae slid the gold into her pocket, stole a furtive glance around her and ran out of the room. She did not see the green light change to amber, or hear the computerised voice intone “Stage: yellow. Block awaiting activation.”
***
Rose breathed deeply. Once she had regained her calm she said in a voice of forced politeness, “I told you, I don’t want to go to Earth again, I’d rather visit a new planet.”
“All right, have it your own way! Although it’s a very selfish one. What I saw in you before my regeneration, I can’t decide!”
At this, tears welled in Rose’s eyes. “If you really hate me that much, I do want to go to Earth! Home!” Then she regained her self-control. “No, I’m sorry Doctor. I don’t want to go home. But it is hard, getting to know the new you.”
The Doctor sighed, and admitted grudgingly, “Yes, I’m sorry too Rose. I’m just different after the regeneration. Do you have any requests, as to the planet?”
Rose thought for a moment, then smiled. “How about Barcelona? The planet. You know, where dogs have no noses!”
“Barcelona it is then! Jae! We’re going on a picnic!”
Jae hurried into the consol room, eyes averted to the floor. The Doctor punched in some co-ordinates and the TARDIS materialised.
“May 30th, 3068, Barcelona! Here we come!” announced the Doctor.
***
The two girls walked out into the open, as the Doctor dashed down a corridor and reappeared with a picnic basket. The TARDIS stood in the middle of a market place, a battered police box in the wrong world in the wrong time. They strolled down the bustling street, searching for a good place to picnic.
***
Ambassador Smill walked down the disembark ramp to greet the President of Barcelona. He had an air of authority around him, and looked much more like a President than Imbeline. His four legs tapped out a steady rhythm on the polished wood. Peering around suspiciously, he sent a thought ray to the technician on board the ship—
/Analyse danger possibilities! I don’t trust these Barcelonans as far as I can throw them!/
The answer came back immediately: /No assassins, bombs or ray guns in range, sir. All other dangers have been checked as well. All clear. The President is real, too./
Thus reassured, Smill pasted a smile on his face and received the traditional welcomes. He replied,
/I thank you for your planet’s hospitality thus far. I look forward to the rest of my stay among your people. May our races forever be friendly./
***
Jae looked at Rose and the Doctor. They were gossiping with a Barcelonan woman about how close to war Barcelona and Blainia were. She crept away down a side alley, where she had noticed a black-market trader’s shop—perfect for her kind of thief. She quickly negotiated the exchange of her gold for three ruby-encrusted, sharp knives. Now she truly had collection of weapons to be proud of! These were beauties. And the Doctor wouldn’t complain when she used them to save his neck again!
***
In the TARDIS a few blocks away a yellow light turned crimson and a computer’s voice droned: “Stage: Red. Non-Time Lord possession detected. Emergency virus released.”
Chapter Two
As a tough-looking girl, his last customer for the day, left, Jamma Grick examined the gold block he’d bought from her. Genuine gold, all right. Suddenly it burned red-hot. He yelped, and dropped it. For a second a strange buzzing filled the air, and then it was gone. He picked up the block, which was now cool again, and glared at a boy riding a multi-headed orange horse.
“What are ya staring at? Move along!”
He set off for his home in the outskirts of the city, shaking his head. Probably just a bit too much drink that afternoon.
***
Rose soon tired of the conversation. She saw Jae, and went over to talk.
“Isn’t this place great? I mean, look at that horse! Three heads! Hey there, you’ve got a nice-looking horse! May I pat him?”
Jae hastily answered the boy’s questioning glance. “We’re from Earth, and horses aren’t like that there.”
The boy nodded. “Sure, you can pet ’im, but be quick, I’ve gotta run an errand for me ma. And these streets are gettin’ too stuffy for my likin’.”
“Is he usually this hot?” Rose inquired in concern. “And he’s sweating, and stumbling. So are you. Sweating I mean.”
“Yeah, I told you, I’m startin’ to find it a bit hot.” His breath now came in short gasps. “’Ere, I’ll be—gettin’ on. ‘Ave—fun.”
“It’s lucky he’s got six arms, or he’d never handle the horse!” Jae joked.
Rose looked troubled and was about to say something when the Doctor called excitedly, “Jae! Rose! Come on, I want to show you the library. It’s one of the best in the galaxy!”
***
Ambassador Smill walked onto the street, talking to the President. The last few days had not achieved much, and Smill felt frustrated. Suddenly he found his way blocked by a youth on an orange horse, both of which were shining with sweat and gasping. Then the boy’s eyes rolled up into his head and the pair collapsed as one. Smill instinctively knelt down and checked the boy’s pulse.
/He’s dead!/ He cried.
***
“And these records come from the planet Lobisk. Very rare, one set of only five in the known universe! Those are from Great Zarn, in the constellation Carrus. They outline the….”
Rose sweated in the stifling heat of the library as the librarian, another six-armed local, droned on. She complained to the Doctor.
“Doctor! It’s too hot in here. Can we…please…go outside?” Why was he looking at her like that? And why was the ceiling spinning so?
The Doctor gazed at Rose in concern. She seemed extremely unwell. And the library was well air-conditioned; there was no reason for her to be sweating. She mumbled something, then, without warning, she fainted.
“Rose?!” He checked her pulse, as the ambassador had been checking the boy’s barely ten minutes ago. But unlike the boy’s, Rose’s pulse was beating.
“Quickly! I need an ambulance!”
***
What was going on? A dozen ambulances and police sirens punctured the night air. In the half-hour since Jamma had closed his shop he had travelled almost to his house, and everywhere a strange illness seemed to be breaking out. Best hurry home, before he caught it too.
***
Healer Longfinger swore violently in anxiety. Since six o-clock there had been fifty cases of an unidentified fever in the hospital. There had already been three deaths, before they had found out that plain, old-fashioned paracetamol from the planet Earth seemed to work best at slowing down the fever. He knew that there were far more cases on the street, and that half of Barcelona would be too poor to buy paracetamol. But there seemed to be nothing he could do.
He turned to his most important patient. If Ambassador Smill didn’t get well, Longfinger knew it would start a war.
***
The Doctor grasped Rose’s hand tightly.
“Rose—I’m going to the TARDIS. I’ll bring back instruments to find out the cause of this sickness, and as much paracetamol as I can carry. Please do your best to fight this fever.”
Rose muttered incoherently as she dreamed in her unconscious delirium. The Doctor kissed her hand and put it down gently, forgetting his regeneration and their fight for a second. Then he walked out of the hospital door and ran down the fever-ridden streets, Jae close behind. She felt uneasy, like something wasn’t quite right. It was more than Rose’s sickness, there was something genuinely wrong.
As they entered the TARDIS Jae tried to get the Doctor’s attention.
“Doctor, I—”
“No, not now, Jae! Rose is in trouble! We must—” he stopped short in front of the open door from which scarlet light lit up the corridor.
“Jae.” His voice quivered with rage and fear, “Did you enter the Emergency Viral room?”
“Ye-es” Jae admitted cautiously, wondering if the light had turned yellow as a sort of silent thief alarm.
“And what did you do with the Emergency Virus Release Board?”
“You mean the gold blo—I mean, what are you talking about?”
“Jae. You sold that ‘gold block’ and consequently killed a whole lot of innocent Barcelonans. Or if that doesn’t matter to you, you harmed Rose.”
Jae had a look of pure horror on her face. She looked like she was about to throw up.
“Can’t—can’t you override it, or something?”
“That was an early Time Lord invention, installed in all Type 40 TARDISes. If a Time Lord got trapped in amongst foes, and for whatever reason the TARDIS wasn’t functioning properly, they would project it out of the exhaust hatch, where someone would be bound to pick it up. It is programmed to kill anyone other than a Time Lord. It is extremely contagious, but the bearer will stay alive as long as he keeps it near him, in order to pass it on. The only way we can reverse this is by putting that Release Board back. How long ago did you sell it?”
“About an hour ago now, to a black-market trader. Honestly, Doctor, I’m so sorry!”
Chapter Three
Jamma turned a street corner and found his way blocked by a big guard on horseback. Both horse and rider had cloths over their mouths, presumably to keep the fever away.
“This area’s being cordoned off,” the guard informed him in a rough voice “Back that way, mister.”
Grumbling, Jamma obliged.
***
“There’s nothing for it,” President Imbeline declared, his heart heavy. In order to prevent him from getting the fever, he spoke to Healer Longfinger via the Barcelonan equivalent of a radio. “They’re contaminating the city. We must burn them all, even the ambassador.”
“But sir, the—” Longfinger began, but he was cut off.
“No ‘buts’ Healer, they are a danger to the entire planet! I would far rather have Smill dead and most of the planet alive to fight a war than Smill alive and the lone survivor on Barcelona.”
Longfinger sighed before giving in, “Very well then, sir.”
***
The Doctor and Jae raced through the streets, praying that the trader wouldn’t escape the net closing around the inner city. They arrived before the hospital, just in time to hear the head healer announce, “Citizens of Barcelona, I regret to say that this fever cannot be combated! To prevent it from spreading much more, all victims are to be burned. This city is to be isolated from the rest of our planet. Please do not resist or refuse to give up those infected. It is for the good of all Barcelona.”
“The fools!” the Doctor cried in panic “Burning the infected won’t stop the Emergency Board! It’s going to spread, no matter what! Anything can catch the fever—birds, flies, rats, anything!”
“Well then we’ve gotta stop ‘em!” Jae replied. Before the Doctor could stop her, she raced through the crowded Town Square and up to the steps of the hospital, where she stopped in front of Healer Longfinger. “You mustn’t burn them!” she gasped defiantly. “I’m the cause for all this! It’s a long story, but I accidentally released a virus. I can fix it, honestly!”
The Healer looked down his nose at her desperate face. “And why should I believe that?”
The Doctor ran up the steps too. “She’s telling the truth,” he declared “You have us to blame. But do your blaming later, because we’ve got to catch a trader, else the fever destroys this world!”
“Um, Doc?” Jae was tugging at his sleeve “the crowd looks pretty annoyed! We should get out of here!”
The few left untouched by the fever in the square were looking murderous and chanting; “Fever, illness bringers, fever, illness bringers, fever…” then a man called out “No! They’re assassins! Come to kill the ambassador and plunge Blainia and Barcelona into war!”
That did it. The crowd moved forward as one, eyes fixed on the two Time Lords.
Suddenly, Jae whipped a knife out of her clothes, and held it to the president’s throat.
“One step closer, and he dies!” She hissed. The Doctor blinked. That voice, and the look in Jae’s eyes reminded him strongly of Leela, her mother. Choking back a tear (this was no time to get all emotional), he wished silently that she wouldn’t do anything rash.
The crowd also saw the maniacal glint in the girl’s eyes. They backed away slowly. From the corner of his vision, the Doctor saw Healer Longfinger inching closer, and pulling a large and heavy-looking stethoscope from his pocket.
“Jae!” The Doctor murmured “Behind—”
‘Yes, I know,” she replied softly “When I say run, run. Run!” They flew down the road, and pulled into an alleyway. They bumped into a ragged-looking man, and a block of gold dropped from his pocket. He blinked in surprise as Jae cried out, and reached down to pick up the glittering thing. As soon as she touched it, he crumpled to the ground, dead of a sickness that destroyed him long ago. In the official record months later, it was called “gold fever”.
***
In the TARDIS, a blood red light turned back to sickly golden and a dead voice declared:
“Stage: Yellow. Awaiting block return.”
Chapter Four
The Doctor and Jae tore down the almost deserted streets, with city troupers hot on their trail. Where possible, Jae brushed victims of the illness with her gold block, and the fever left them instantly. Within a few moments they would be standing, and blinking in surprise.
“Well, look at the bright side,” Jae gasped “At least they don’t have dogs onto us!”
The Doctor panted back “No, in Barcelona dogs are considered pretty useless. They can’t follow a scent, see.”
Soon they drew near the TARDIS. Quickly the Doctor rammed in the key and they stepped hurriedly inside.
The Doctor quickly punched in coordinates as Jae raced down the white corridor. She knew that outside the city troupers would be staring in bewilderment as the TARDIS disappeared into thin air, with a victorious trumpeting noise.
Soon she had pulled up before the open door, and was observing the yellow light streaming out of it. Panting, she lunged inside, knowing that every second was precious, and slammed the block back into it’s rightful place. She listened in exhausted wonder as a voice informed her:
“Stage: Green. Block returned. All remaining virus terminated.”
***
In the hospital Rose awoke with a moan.
“What’s the time, mum?” she murmured drowsily.
“Sir, another one’s come to!” called a young Healer.
Rose looked around her. All through the long ward patients were sitting up in bed, and staring around in bewilderment, as she was. For a second she thought she was still dreaming, sighting the four-legged man and the numerous six-armed people, then she remembered the Doctor.
“Doctor, where are you? Why am I here? Doctor! Jae!” there was no answer to her cries. Then she heard a familiar sound; a weird trumpeting filled the air. A police box materialised at the end of the hospital aisle, and the Doctor and Jae spilled out. The Doctor rushed to Rose and squeezed her up in a big bear hug.
“Thank goodness you’re alive,” he whispered “I was so worried!”
Jae had hung behind, but now she came forward, almost shyly.
“Rose?” she said tentatively “I’m sorry.”
“What for?” Rose asked cautiously. She felt slightly suspicious—Jae rarely apologised for anything, let alone timidly!
“It’s a long story,” the Doctor began, but he was interrupted by a shout of:
“There they are! Get them!” The President, Healer Longfinger, and a squadron of elite troupers rushed down the hospital aisle.
The Doctor sighed.
“I’m far too tired to run the 10 meters to my ship,” he groaned wearily, “So you might just have to shoot me. But before you do, may I please explain? Things are not as scary as you think. See, everyone’s waking up?”
The President looked suspiciously at him. “All right then,” he yielded cautiously, “We’ll hear what you’ve got to say. But one false move and you’re fried!”
***
An hour later Rose and the Doctor climbed into the TARDIS. Jae followed sulkily, shooting the Doctor a murderous look. He had taken all three of her new knives, and had given her a long talk on the horrible fates of thieves. She bumped heavily into him as she passed, and didn’t stop to say sorry. As Jae slouched down the corridor to her room, he whispered to Rose, “I don’t think she’ll steal much any more. She may not seem it now, but she was horrified when she learnt she’d killed all those people and put you in danger. So was I, as a matter of fact!”
Rose smiled back at him.
“So, where to next?” he asked. “There’s a beautiful planet called Lesser Zarn, and Grishnak is truly amazing. You’d also like—”
Rose winced. “Enough, enough!” she cried, “I just want to go to Earth! I have a craving for chips, and to see normal people with two legs, two arms, one head, no feelers, and one heart!”
The Doctor gaped in astonishment. “But—but you said—” he spluttered.
“No, no, no, just take me to Earth!” yelled Rose. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.]
***
President Imbeline stood on the docking platform once again, this time to wave Ambassador Smill goodbye. Incredulous though it may seem, the fever had really broken the ice between them. The Ambassador had seen Imbeline at work amongst his people, and had realised that the Barcelonans were just like the Blainians at heart, albeit far less attractive to his eyes! They had quickly negotiated peace plans, and Imbeline now felt like he was losing a friend.
***
Once safely in her room, Jae stood up straight once more and let a smile break out on her face. From her pocket she produced her prize: the three knives the Doctor had taken!
"Reunion"
by Susan Freeman
Fourth and Tenth Doctor
Disclaimer: I generally loathe fanfiction in poetry form. Here I have committed it anyway. Mea culpa. I also loathe the notion that Sarah Jane Smith wasted her life waiting for the Doctor to show back up. While the following owes some of its emotion to ‘School Reunion’, I tried to downplay it
It’s a far cry from South Croydon
But about what she should have expected
He can’t get from one end of his scarf to the other without being distracted
It was her idea to leave
Silicon transgender villains aside
But she may never forgive him for not talking her out of it
He can’t get around her by giving her a crated up K-9
“Sarah Jane.”
She can’t stop listening for his voice
She knows no one will ever say her name like he did
He must be dead
But there’s that silly blue box
“Hello, Sarah Jane.” He’s got the nerve to look younger than she feels
It is the Doctor. She can tell because she keeps nearly dying. But he will never
ever again
Say her name the way he once did.
"The Future is Catching Up With You"
by Susan Freeman
First Doctor (takes place at the beginning of "An Unearthly Child")
The elderly man moved with surprising deftness. His steps made little noise. Pausing beside a high wooden fence, he looked back over his shoulder and then gently tipped a board aside and stepped through the gap. The board swung back behind him. He noticed in passing that someone had chalked 'bad wolf' on the fence. When the shadows had swallowed him, he waited, listening. There was a handy knothole for him to keep watch through. Less than three minutes later, figures he could only make out as a man and a woman neared his hiding place.
"Not a trace—you?"
"No, but there are plenty of bolt holes in this part of town. No need to assume he vanished into thin air."
"We should get back to the Institute, then."
"How about taking a few minutes more to confirm we’ve lost him? Let's check down this way."
"All right."
The two moved away. The old man stepped out of the shadows, the faint lights in the area glinting off his white hair. This was too much! Hunted by humans, pestered, followed! One couldn't expect respect from these ignorant primitives, but he didn't have to put up with this, surely? And these people gave him pause: 'vanished into thin air.' Why would that be an option for assumption? Who did they think they were following and what did they know?
Too much. He'd have to speak to Susan; it was time to leave this wretched little backwater planet. In a few thousand years it might develop something more than the current vestigial civilization but in this era it barely served as a refuge. An inadequate one if it meant he had to avoid investigation.
The night was a little foggy. The air seemed to catch in his chest and he coughed. Polluted atmosphere—what a dirty city this was. The Doctor made his way to the police box sitting in the junkyard and opened the door. Susan called to him, but the Doctor heard a woman's voice exclaiming behind him and he slammed shut the door of the TARDIS and turned on his pursuers. The man and woman stepped out of their place of concealment. The Doctor kept control of himself, though beneath his calm demeanor he was outraged (and a little afraid). He would find out what these two were and show them what it meant to beard a Time Lord in his lair. He was not to be trifled with!
The Beginning
